From her years in college to her time working at Elon, leadership
has always been a signiﬁcant part of Mallory Anderson’s life.
Before becoming the Director for the Center of Leadership at Elon
University, Anderson studied business management at Appalachian
State University, and then she worked as an events planner.
Anderson quickly realized her passion was working with college
students and decided to work on a college campus.
After studying college student affairs administration at the
University of Georgia, Anderson came to Elon to serve as the Director
of Orientation and Organization Development. Two years later, she
took over the Center for Leadership.
As director of the center, she oversaw the Isabella Cannon
Leadership Program, Adventures in Leadership and the experiential
learning requirement.
“I believe that leadership is something that can be taught, it’s not
just innate in who you are,” Anderson said. “It’s been awesome to have
had the opportunity to be a part of so many moments of learning.”
Since she took the position, Anderson said she has worked hard to
deﬁne learning outcomes and objectives for leadership workshops and
infuse relevant literature into the program.
“Something I am proud of is the intentionality behind the things we
do, think and plan,” she said.
She has also spent time working on Elon’s strategic plan.
“It encompasses a lot of different facets of leadership, and it’s
something I’ll be proud to leave because people can follow it and work
toward the included goals,” she said.
These facets of leadership include cultural leadership, a focus on
study abroad and the inclusion of diversity within group dynamics.
“As we move into the future, I would like to see more learning about
leadership from a cultural perspective,” Anderson said. “Leadership
isn’t just the four-year program, it’s an opportunity for students to be
involved and developed in their roles, too.”
Anderson said that even on a bad day she still loves her job and
what she does, particularly the interaction with students.
“I think I learn just as much from them as they are hopefully learning
from me,” she said.
She explained that she is often motivated by the positive relationships
she has cultivated with both students and faculty at Elon.
“I get excited about creating opportunities, whether it’s one

The Legacies of Elon’s Leaders // 52

where there might be a failure and we learn from it, or a success that
we celebrate,” Anderson said. “There really is an energy created by
working with students.”
Despite the success she has had in the position, Anderson has
experienced some setbacks. With so many different parties involved in
decision making, she said her priorities aren’t always on the forefront,
which can be disheartening.
“It’s just picking yourself back up, dusting yourself off and plugging
along,” she said. “You realize that in time, maybe it will come around
and you have to keep working toward the goals that you believe in.”
As a part of Elon’s campus, she said she has had opportunities that
might not have been possible elsewhere, such as co-instructing a study
abroad course.
“I have really been able to see the bigger picture and develop student
leaders both in academics and extra-curricular programs,” she said. “I
have also become better at creating a sense of balance for myself and
seeing certain things as opportunities rather than just more work.”
For Anderson, college is the formative years in which to develop
strong leadership skills, which she believes can change society for the
better.
“There is so much poor leadership everywhere,” she said. “If we
can develop skill sets now, I can only imagine what our world will look
like with stronger leaders.”
Anderson was chosen for the Outstanding Service to Students
award at last year’s Organization Awards and Inaugural Ceremony,
“because of her hard work and dedication to the student lives that
she impacts everyday,” SGA Special Events Committee Chair Cedric
Pulliam said. “She devotes after ofﬁce hours to the advancement with
students of Elon University. She also goes beyond leadership and helps
out with other facets of the university to aid students or faculty advisors
whenever needed.”
Though Anderson left Elon’s campus in June to earn her Ph.D. in
recreation and leisure with a focus on using the outdoors as a medium
for leadership training, she said she will always remember how her
time at Elon has impacted her.
“When I interviewed, there was such a spirit of community between
faculty, staff and students,” she said. “Elon is like a family. You must
have a system of community, and that is something I will look for
everywhere I go.”

Story By Caitlin O’Donnell

GET TO KNOW
Mallory
Anderson
Arrived at Elon in
2005
Elon Legacy:
“When I think about
all of the things I
have done or worked
toward, I think it
would be a legacy
of strengthening the
intentionality behind
why we do what we
do.”

MalloryAnderson

51 // e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders PHOTO BY JUSTINE SCHULERUD Arrived at Elon in 2005 Elon Legacy: “When I think about all of the things I have done or worked toward, I think it would be a legacy of strengthening the intentionality behind why we do what we do.” Story By Caitlin O’Donnell e Legacies of Elon’s Leaders // 52 PHOTO BY ASHLEY BARNASPHOTOBYASHLEYBARNAS